Which "extras" are most worthwhile during busy time?

[SFMommy]

I am planning a trip for me, DH and DD13 for Thanksgiving 2019.

I have planned 3 nights at the Poly and 5 nights at the Swan. Trying to decide which "extras" will be most beneficial during that busy time.

General plan (at the moment)...

Sat, Sun & Mon at the Poly. Tues-Sun at the Swan.
Sun - MK
Mon - MK
Tues - hotel transfer day and late arrival (1/2 day) at HS
Wed - EP
Thurs - EP (morning EMH)
Fri - HS
Sat - AK (morning EMH)

An extra that I am considering is CL FP+ (will have access from suite at the Swan) for maybe HS, EP and AK (1 day each). Also thinking about EMM at MK and/or HS. And also debating getting park hoppers.

• CL FP+ (extra $159 per person/$477 total) - 3 extra FP+ each at HS, EP & AK
• EMM (extra $79 per person/$237 total) - one extra morning at HS or MK (includes breakfast)
• Park Hoppers (extra $66 per person/$198 total)

I know that hours, EMH, EMM, etc. are all still up-in-the-air for November.

Just wondering about your experiences with CL FP+ vs. EMM for which is more valuable/worthwhile? And thoughts on the value of park hoppers, which we would probably only use while staying at the Swan?

Or any other suggestions for extras?

Thanks!

 

[ClapYourHands]

I'd go with the park hoppers. It's always nice to have the option of hopping somewhere else. I liked to be able to look at what FPs were available at different parks and hop over to grab them after dinner.

The wild card here is Star Wars.

If Star Wars is open by Thanksgiving, then having extra CL FP is going to be worth it for Galaxy's Edge alone because pretty much everyone predicts it will be a total mob. Doing EMM at HS might be similarly valuable, if EMM is changed to Galaxy's Edge away from TSL. If EMM is still TSL, it won't be nearly as valuable, because I predict those attractions will become Tier 2 when Galaxy's Edge opens.

As for the other days of CL FP, 7DMT is really the only MK attraction that's hard to get at 60 days, so the CL FPs are nice, but a very expensive way to ride Space Mountain. In EP, Soarin' is often available as a same-day FP and Test Track has a single rider line, so the CL FPs also seem like a bit of an extravagance. If you do CL FP, I'd be tempted to do two days at HS to make sure you're able to do Galaxy's Edge thoroughly, and do either MK or EP when you're at the Swan.

 

[glocon]

If you get the one emm and the hoppers, it’s still less than the clfp. I would do the emm and hoppers. You’ll get more ride that way.

 

[IMissDreamfinder]

Definitely do the hoppers! Nothing stinks more than getting into a park and realizing it's crazy busy and being stuck there all day while looking up shorter wait times at other locations!

 

[whiporee]

I'd do the CLFPs. During a busy time having six FPs -- and the ability to book multiple Tier 1 and in multiple parks -- can make a lot of difference. They helped save our July 3/4 trip last year and let us do FoP, SDD and AS2 all on the same day. I always get hoppers, so that's sort of a given with us.

If your kids are going to want to do 7DMT several times, then EMM is fun. But only if they want to do that and PP a bunch of times. If that's not a big selling point, then I'd stick with the CLFP.

And one of the desert parties. Watching fireworks on busy nights is little to no fun.

 

[Jessirip]

And one of the desert parties. Watching fireworks on busy nights is little to no fun.

Second that. We did the Plaza Garden Fireworks Dessert Party during Easter week last year and highly recommend it. People outside the garden were being told to stop and stay where they were while we had room to stretch out. Then after the show our daughter played in the "grass" with another little girl while we waited for the crowds to thin. We will do this every visit, even if not a crazy busy time. (Note that was before they added the after party which we are attending this next trip - not sure how that will change our next experience but still better to me than getting bumped around.)

 

[OKC Disney Fan]

We just returned from a very short 3.5 day trip (Sun-Wed) and during planning had decided that we wanted to get our biggest bang for our buck without stressing about what we could accomplish in limited time.
To help allow for the "extras" we booked, we stayed at a value resort this time around (Pop-which was great)
We did the following:
EMM-TSL
EMM-MK
MK Fireworks Dessert Party
Epcot Illuminations Dessert Party
Ultimate Night of Adventure Tour-AK

It was all worth it to me. With these events, we were able to ride SDD, TSM, and AS2 multiple times, everything in Fantasyland, FOP, EE, Kilimanjaro, Dinosaur, and Navi without FP's (although we were able to secure FP's for some of these for a second ride) And we had reserved spots (With chairs) for nighttime shows without lining up or worrying about it.
On my next trip or a longer trip, I don't think I would be able to afford to do them all again, but it worked out this time as family pitched in some of it as part of our Xmas presents this time. Had a great vacay!

 

[Mrs. W]

You're going for the same time we're going, and we have similar plans! It's just my husband and I though.

We have a split stay at Dolphin. The first half is 3 nights in a suite, and the second half is 4 nights in a standard room on points. We have hoppers.

If Star Wars is open (and more importantly, announced at least 91 days before our trip):

• Paid, CL fast passes for 3 days, to use at Hollywood Studios x2, and 1 time at Epcot/Animal Kingdom (use hoppers)
• Possibly: paid event at Hollywood Studios IF it includes access to Star Wars (and I'm not sure this will happen if Star Wars is just a few weeks old)

If Star Wars is not open, or not announced in advance:

• Will not purchase CL fast passes, but may attend a dessert party or 2; we've never done them and I'm interested after watching some videos.

I'm not much help, I know, because I could easily see a scenario where paid extra hours events, hoppers, AND paid fast passes would be beneficial. A lot of it depends on whether or not Star Wars is open, in my opinion. Happy planning!

 

[cakebaker]

We’re doing every premium event we can- dessert buffets at the MK and Epcot, EMM at HS and the MK, the dessert pkg for F! And Tony’s for the parade. I’m not doing DAH’s only because they aren’t being offered for my dates. We also have AP’s and a hopper.

These are all events and parks we’re going to anyway and every one of them saves time, gives a great viewing area and/or allows for multiple rides on the most popular rides with little wait. I think it makes for a much more relaxing trip and the extra cost is worth every penny. Factoring in that we can skip big meals for the dessert pkgs and the parade pkg actually is no more than the meal would cost, the only significant costs are the EMM’s. I don’t feel the need to pay CL prices to buy fp’s doing the EMM’s and for my dates, I had no trouble getting FPS at the 60 day mark. EMM’s are by far less expensive than paying for CL and since there’s no other benefit for us at CL, it’s a waste of money to me. EMM’s will allow us to ride much more than the FP’s with CL.

Out of all of them, the MK dessert buffet and the ability to hop are the most valuable to me.

 

[SFMommy]

You're going for the same time we're going, and we have similar plans! It's just my husband and I though.

We have a split stay at Dolphin. The first half is 3 nights in a suite, and the second half is 4 nights in a standard room on points. We have hoppers.

If Star Wars is open (and more importantly, announced at least 91 days before our trip):

• Paid, CL fast passes for 3 days, to use at Hollywood Studios x2, and 1 time at Epcot/Animal Kingdom (use hoppers)
• Possibly: paid event at Hollywood Studios IF it includes access to Star Wars (and I'm not sure this will happen if Star Wars is just a few weeks old)

If Star Wars is not open, or not announced in advance:

• Will not purchase CL fast passes, but may attend a dessert party or 2; we've never done them and I'm interested after watching some videos.

I'm not much help, I know, because I could easily see a scenario where paid extra hours events, hoppers, AND paid fast passes would be beneficial. A lot of it depends on whether or not Star Wars is open, in my opinion. Happy planning!

Yes, I think it really comes down to if SWGE is open or not. I guess I am assuming that it will be open by Thanksgiving and will plan for that.

We aren't late-night people, so probably won't do a dessert party. None of us are really that interested in the fireworks or other nighttime events to make a dessert party worth it.

I do think that EMM might be worth it for us...we are early morning people. I think MK is a must-do for EMM because of the number of attractions available. And HS EMM is a maybe...I guess it depends on if SWGE is included. I'm not convinced that it is worth it for TSL alone. Our DD12 has said that she is too old for the new TSL rides! And by the time we go on this trip...she will be a teenager!

I'm still on the fence about CL FP+...again, will probably depend on SWGE opening. But that is over $17 per ride for the 9 extra FP+ per person. EMM seems like a better deal and includes breakfast!

Thanks to everyone for all of the advice!

 

[Mrs. W]

Yes, I think it really comes down to if SWGE is open or not. I guess I am assuming that it will be open by Thanksgiving and will plan for that.

We aren't late-night people, so probably won't do a dessert party. None of us are really that interested in the fireworks or other nighttime events to make a dessert party worth it.

I do think that EMM might be worth it for us...we are early morning people. I think MK is a must-do for EMM because of the number of attractions available. And HS EMM is a maybe...I guess it depends on if SWGE is included. I'm not convinced that it is worth it for TSL alone. Our DD12 has said that she is too old for the new TSL rides! And by the time we go on this trip...she will be a teenager!

I'm still on the fence about CL FP+...again, will probably depend on SWGE opening. But that is over $17 per ride for the 9 extra FP+ per person. EMM seems like a better deal and includes breakfast!

Thanks to everyone for all of the advice!

Oh, I actually agree with you about the value of the dessert parties; we would only do them to check a box, so to speak. My husband does not eat carbs so he wouldn't eat anything beyond the cheeses available, and I'm not a big dessert person myself.

As far as Star Wars, I'd love for the land to be open, but we're going to Disneyland this summer (our "home" park), and our thought is that if, for some reason, we are unable to ride the Star Wars rides at Disneyland in July, then we'll do the CL FPs in November at World. If we are able to experience Star Wars at Land, I'm not going to purchase the fast passes. I love to plan though, so as much as it pains me to "wait and see", I'm excited to potentially go back to the drawing board to revise my plans. I'm weird, I know.

Anyway, I'm sure whatever you decide as far as hoppers, extras, or paid fast passes will be fine. After all, you'll be at Disney World right?

 

[Disneypro1]

Best to avoid EMH parks for that day...Go to the parks without EMH they won't be as busy. And, hoppers waste more time than they are worth. Don't buy park hoppers. Do one park per day and you will get more done. If you need a break...you can always return to the same park later on...We have never done that. We get to the parks about 0930 first FP is always 1000 hrs
And we close the parks. Always get tons done regardless of how busy. Park hopping does nothing but waste time.

 

[AMK53]

we loved having CL FP and being able to book them 90 days out. they can be at any park, 2 in 3 parks etc. the CMs are very helpful about suggesting how to use them once you tell them what your 6 choices are.

the other extra that is AWESOME is Disney After Hours. we got so much done in December at Magic Kingdom during After Hours, and were the ONLY people on Haunted Mansion! yes it was cold, but wow it was terrific

 

[holden]

I’d recommend the VIP Thrill Rides tour. It hits most of the popular attractions in one day, three parks. Then use your FP+ for attractions not included in the tour.

We got 11 attractions in on this tour, all in the FP+ line. Private van transportation between parks and back entry to parks made it easy. I think it was well worth it.